1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a back-up method for externally backing up firmware information for internal setting of a system control apparatus of the embedded type.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a system control apparatus of the embedded type, in externally backing up the information of the firmware for internal setting of the apparatus, conventionally the information for setting the apparatus is backed up by an external back up apparatus in the same binary data form as the form of the internal information of the apparatus.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a setting information back-up system for a system control apparatus of a conventional example. Referring to FIG. 1, reference numeral 41 denotes a system control apparatus, 42 information for internal setting of the apparatus, 45 a communication unit, 46 an apparatus information back-up apparatus, and 47 a back-up file.
The information for internal setting 42 of the system control apparatus 41 is up-loaded into the back-up file 47 of the apparatus information back-up apparatus 46 via the communication unit 45, and when necessary, the back up data are down-loaded into the internal information for internal setting 42 of the system control apparatus 41 by the reverse route.
With the prior art, it is a first problem that it sometimes becomes impossible to use the back up data by version up of the firmware. The reason is that, by the version up of the firmware, the form of the information for internal setting of the apparatus is changed or the memory allocation is changed.
It is a second problem that the back up data cannot be edited manually. The reason is that the back up data have the same form as the information for internal setting of the apparatus and cannot be recognized visually by a human being.
Further, it is a third problem that, when a function is added to the apparatus, it sometimes becomes impossible to use the back up data. The reason is that the information for setting the apparatus is backed up in the same binary data form as that of the internal information of the apparatus.